The Christmas Ring
by dreamchaser31
Summary: Just a little something for the Christmas season...Cupcake fic. Review if possible!


I own nothing, except for Haven. These amazing characters belong to the one and only J. Evanovich. Cupcake all the way.

The Christmas Ring

I lied in bed all night long thinking about the next day. There was no way I could go through with this. She was going to say no anyway so why waste my breath. _"You'll never know if you don't try,"_ my heart told me. Yea right…what did it know anyway.

She was Stephanie Plum the most incredible women I have ever met, with those big blue eyes and way to curly hair. A fighters personality, that knew how to put me in my place (sometimes) and piss me off, (all the time).

But she was it for me.

Our relationship started off rocky when we were 5. I taught her how to play choo choo in my fathers garage, and since then we've been pissing each other off each and every day, till now. And each day didn't get any easier or harder when I think about it. My ma use to say opposites attract, and that's what we are, me and Stephanie, Stephanie and me, we're opposites.

Total and complete opposites to be exact. Although you wouldn't think we were. We both grew up on the same block together in the burg. Our mothers were both uptight, sorry ma and Mrs. Plum, and we went to the same school for ever. There was a two year age difference of course me being older, but that's about it. Now we both work in law enforcement. She's a bona fide bounty hunter, well sort of, she's more like a walking disaster, and I'm a detective for the Trenton P.D.

But there was another guy. Carlos Manoso, or Ranger as everybody liked to call him. He is everything I am to her plus more. He's her mentor, her knight in shining armor, and when one of her cars explodes he doesn't get mad, he just buys her a new one.

There are so many times I've asked her to quit her job, and each and every time she walked out of my life for a while. I'm afraid if things don't go well today, she might walk out again…for the last time. My heart can't take that.

It was time to get up but I couldn't bring myself to. She hadn't slept here last night she was at her parents with Haven. They had a little family get together Christmas Eve for the grandkids so they could open one present before Santa got there that night. I was on an investigation and couldn't go. She called me late last night and told me that Haven had fallen asleep and she didn't want to wake her… She would see me tomorrow, there at her parents.

Haven is my world. My almost two year old bundle of joy. She looks like me, but she's got her mama's bright blue eyes, sparkling smile, my hair color, but her mama's same damn curly hair. She knew how to work me good too, but I didn't mind. I love spoiling her. And each time I saw her I was reminded that I had one thing that Ranger could never have, my beautiful daughter, my beautiful Haven.

I finally got up and got ready to head over to the Plum's house. I loaded all the Christmas presents, mostly Haven's, in my SUV, and made sure that I grabbed that one little box from my top drawer, and I was on my way. When I got there I could smell lunch from the driveway where my car was parked, I barely closed my door when my baby girl comes out in her red velvet Christmas dress, white tights, black dress shoes, and a white bow in her medium length curly baby hair, and runs and jumps into my waiting arms.

"Where's your jacket, princess?"

"No jacket, daddy, no no."

"I guess I couldn't get it on her fast enough," Stephanie laughed as she came down the steps to greet me.

"She wanted her daddy_ real _bad," she finished and gave me a kiss. "Merry Christmas."

I smiled at her and my baby girl, _this was how it should be._

"Santa,daddy," Haven said in her little girl voice.

"Well let's go in then shall we," I laughed as Stephanie and I grabbed our little girls hands and walked inside together.

The day was spectacular. Dinner was great. The presents were awesome, and my little Haven got everything she ever dreamed, even that damn doll house, I was so against but she talked me into. Right now she was playing with it with her cousins: Angie, Mary Alice, and Lisa, who was telling her what she should name her dolls.

I sat there on the couch watching her. Thinking… This is what I want, I want my own family, sitting in front of the fireplace Christmas day playing with their cousins and toys.

I wanted Stephanie.

Night time came fast and it was soon dinner time. We all sat down, and talked, and laughed, and caught up with each other. And Haven held a sparkling conversation with her papa Plum about the difference between dolls and trains, and why dolls where so much better. She had the table rolling.

"You have to like trains Havie, everybody does," he said.

"No Papa, no, you no understand, I like my dollies better than trains cause I'm a little girl papa, don't you know that, geez, me think you need help if you no know that papa."

He looked at me and grinned.

_Yea that's my daughter, putting her papa in his place. Good girl Havie…._

The whole time I was holding Stephanie's hand, and she gave it a squeeze and I knew she was thinking the same thing.

_Boy was our daughter a smart ass…_

It was about time. I looked at her father and he looked at me and nodded, "be good to my baby," he lipped to me.

I nodded, "I will," I whispered back and smiled.

We all ventured into the living room, the light's were dimmed and the children were watching a Christmas special, Charlie Brown, I think it was.

It was time.

I got up, cleared my throat and began to speak.

"Stephanie, ever since we were little kids we've been in and out of each others lives , just stopping by for a short visit like tourist in each other's heart, coming and going as we please. But I know I can no longer do that because I've learned that no matter what, I'm never going to be able to leave you again, because your always going to be in my heart."

Her mother and sister started crying, Albert rolled his eyes, and her dad smiled at me to continue. Haven even seemed to be interested in what her daddy had to say.

"Stephanie, you have given me everything I could ever hope for plus more, you gave me your love, your heart, and a beautiful daughter, that I love with all my heart."

Haven grinned that cheeky grin and exclaimed, "That's me daddy, that's me," and giggled and started dancing around in little circles till she got to dizzy and fell down. Her grandma went to rescue her. "Woops," she giggled again, "me dizzy grama."

I dropped to one knee and took her hand. She gasped.

"I love you. I love with a love that I know can belong to no other woman, Stephanie. You are my life, and I want to share the rest of the days that I live with you. I want to see all our dreams come true together. And I want to hold you in my arms for every aching breath we have left.''

I pulled out the ring, and looked up. She was crying.

" I want to be the one you run to when you cry, and when you hurt, your it, Stephanie, your it for me."

_This is it…_

"_Will you marry me," I asked and held my breath at the same time._

_The whole room was silent, even Haven. All that could be heard was the women's sniffles._

"_Please," I whispered to her silently so nobody could hear,_

_She smiled at me and looked at Haven. She looked back and nodded._

"_You don't know what your getting yourself into, Mr. Morelli," she grinned._

"_With you I can get through anything," I laughed._

_She nodded again._

"_Good because your helping me plan the wedding," she said._

_We stood up, laughed, hugged, and cried as I put the ring on her finger._

"_Merry Christmas, Cupcake," I whispered in her ear._

"_Merry Christmas, Joe," she said as she kissed me passionately._

"_Daddy," I heard, "where's my Christmas ring?!"_

_Author's note: Hey I'm thinking about continuing it but under a different title. I'm also new here so any review would be great!! Let me know if I should or not. I hope you enjoyed it._


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